Former Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias has claimed that Libya plays a key role in Turkey’s strategic plan to encircle Greece. Speaking to the Greek outlet D News, Kotzias described the plan as a “crab system”, with Turkey acting as the body and Libya forming the “southern claw” alongside Albania and North Macedonia as the “upper claw”.
Kotzias argued that Turkey is exploiting Libya as a tool to exert international pressure on Greece, presenting itself as a “protector of smaller states”.
He pointed out that the 2019 maritime agreement signed between Ankara and the Tripoli-based government is being used to challenge Greece’s maritime rights in the Eastern Mediterranean. He accused Turkey of violating international maritime law and the sovereign rights of Greek islands.
Criticising Athens, Kotzias said that Greece had made “serious diplomatic mistakes” by failing to engage both the Libyan government in Tripoli and Field Marshal Khalifa Haftar in eastern Libya. He claimed this diplomatic vacuum has enabled Turkey to expand its presence by building military bases and airfields in southern Libya.
Kotzias called for resolving the maritime dispute between Greece and Libya through the International Court of Justice (ICJ), noting that Libya—unlike Turkey—is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). He also highlighted that Libya has previously signed maritime agreements with Malta and Tunisia, suggesting that legal avenues remain viable if Athens acts strategically.
Should Libya refuse dialogue or ICJ arbitration, Kotzias suggested that Greece could exert pressure through the European Union, including restricting EU funding to Libya if it continues to align with Ankara.
